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Stokes braced for 'emotional' tribute to late England batsman Thorpe / Photo: © AFP
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Stokes braced for 'emotional' tribute to late England batsman Thorpe
Ben Stokes is preparing himself for an "emotional" tribute to Graham Thorpe when the late former England batsman is honoured during this week's fifth and deciding Test against India at the Oval.
Thorpe took his own life on August 4, 2024, having batted depression and anxiety for several years, with police confirming he had died following an incident on a railway line near his home.
The left-handed batsman, who spent his entire professional career in south London with Oval-based Surrey, scored 6,744 Test runs at an average of 44.66 in 100 matches from 1993 to 2005.
He later held various coaching positions, including a role as England's batting chief, where he worked with current players such as Test captain Stokes and Joe Root.
A Day for Thorpey will be held on Friday, August 1 in support of mental health charity Mind on what would have been his 56th birthday.
"Thorpey's been a very influential character as a player and a coach in English cricket," Stokes told reporters at the Oval on Wednesday.
"A few of us in that dressing room spent a lot of time with him coming through the ranks and, as we got into the main (England) team Thorpey spent a lot of years around us."
The all-rounder, who will miss the Oval finale because of a shoulder injury, added: "It's going to be a special day for all English fans, a special day for his family to see how much he meant to English cricket and how much he means to the current England dressing room."
Coroner Jonathan Stevens recorded an official verdict of suicide at an inquest last week but said there had been "shortcomings in the care" provided to the retired cricketer in his final months.
The fifth Test at the Oval starts on Thursday, with England 2-1 up in the series.
F.Edwards--SFF
